GM Nakamura yesterday dropped to 15th ranked player in the World according to 2700chess.com after being held to a draw by Israeli IM Gil Popilski rated 2475 and ranked by FIDE as the 39th ranked player in Israel and 1230th in the world.
I guess I miss the point.
Today at the Europeon Chess Club Cup at Eilat, Israel, GM Nakamura plays Black against his fourth round opponent Norwegian IM Leer-Salvesen rated 2370 by FIDE and ranked 4161st in the world. This is a seven round event.
Dan - I wouldn’t worry about the minute-to-minute developments as much as I infer that you are worrying about them.
And I doubt that the other “top ten” level players are breathing a sigh of relief just because Hikaru is having a couple of bad weeks.
Almost every top GM - and every top player or team, in every sport - have their ups and downs.
Perhaps Hikaru got over-ambitious because of finding himself the top seed in London. Well, pretty much every time Hikaru reached “the next level” in his rise through the rungs from being a top player in the US to one of the world’s elite, he had an event at the next level up in which he got his head handed to him for not taking the opposition seriously enough. And every time, he regrouped and came back and handed everyone their heads in return.
In my opinion, he is still learning and still growing as a player. Stay relaxed, and stay tuned.
Exactly. I find puzzling this apparent schadenfreude about Nakamura drawing a lower rated player or suffering an upset. Nakamura is a player’s player, adventurous and not hackneyed in the opening and nearly always plays for blood.
Just in!
Nakamura beats IM Leer-Salvesen of Norway in the 4th round of the Eilat tournament. Nakamura now moves up to 13th on the Live List.
Today in the 5th round at Eilat, Nakamura has White against Norway’s IM Andreas Moen rated 2375.
Just in! Nakamura wins second game in a row beating IM Moen.
Today in the 6th round at Eilat,
Nakamura has White against England’s GM Simon K. Williams rated 2475. Williams upset Boris Gelfand in round 5.
GM Kamsky plays Ukrainian GM Efimenko ranked 60th in the world.
Just in!
Nakamura wins. Kamsky draws.
Last round tomorrow.
7th and last round Nakamura has black against IM Raznikov and Kamsky faces GM Motylev.
Both Americans draw. Kamsky unofficially 12th and Nakamura 13th on Live Ratings list.